Today I’m taking a prompt idea from Gather: one word. I chose books because I was just sitting here at my desk thinking about them so I thought I’d write a little ode to them.

Books are one of the most important things in life. If it weren’t for books we wouldn’t have any way to explain the way the wind feels when it blows past, or how blue the sky is on a Fall day. We wouldn’t have words to express how deeply we feel love or how scared we can felt alone in the dark. There wouldn’t be a way to connect with the world around us. If it weren’t for books and the beauty of language we wouldn’t know how important each day of life is and how much we have to appreciate small moments.

We certainly wouldn’t have great movies or words to songs or even pictures to tell us a story. We need books in all forms because it not only opens up other worlds but our own world and our own life. Books are things we can pass by each day and never find time to get our hands on but somewhere in everyone the purpose of a book has effected us all. They help us connect to one another. We learn from them, inspire and create because of books. I could get up on my soap box and even go into why we need libraries and schools but we know this stuff – we need books and a way to get books. (Reopen Borders and the local Waterstones!)

Speaking of books, I’ve finished my New Moon review today so I am free to read the rest of the series. Sheesh, even those books are enough to know how much impact a bunch of words slapped onto paper can be. We have religion and philosophy and poetry and history because of the written word. Books are essential – just like bubble gum.